Cutting Edge Awarded City of Chicago Community Wealth Building and Technical Assistance Grant
Cutting Edge is a proud recipient of the City of Chicago Community Wealth Building and Technical Assistance Grant, as awarded by Chicago Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot, the Office of Equity and Racial Justice (OERJ), and the Department of Planning and Development (DPD).
The grant is part of ongoing efforts by the City of Chicago and Community Wealth Building Planning & Pre-Development program to provide critical funding to move community wealth building projects further down the pipeline, many of which face systemic barriers to accessing capital and are stymied by a lack of resources.
Cutting Edge is one of 17 local and national technical assistance organizations selected from 47 applicants to design and implement specialized services. Finalists were selected based on organizational experience & values; program design & implementation strategy; and organizational capacity & budget justification:
- Research & Advocacy
- Education & Outreach
- Business Development
- Financing & Fundraising
- Legal & Governance
- Assets & Operations
Organizations will receive grants ranging from $150,000 to $380,000 to support the design and implementation of two-year technical assistance programs. Cutting Edge was selected to provide Legal and Governance technical assistance primarily focused on legal guidance on worker-ownership and community investment vehicles such as community investment funds.
“Through these grants and technical assistance programs, the Department of Planning & Development is excited to build the pipeline of community wealth building projects that meet community priorities,” says DPD Commissioner Maurice Cox.
To learn more about the Community Wealth Building initiative, visit the City of Chicago Community Wealth Building page. To read the full press release, visit the City of Chicago Mayor’s Office.